McCaskill votes to repeal Stream Protection Rule

[Michael Dee]

I know it’s risky to open a political can of worms on this  message board, but I figure if there’s anything we can agree on, it’s water quality. After all, we paddle in a traditional lead mining district; without some regulations on the disposal of waste and contaminants (not to mention that waste disposal facility upstream!), our favorite sport might be much more hazardous to our health and to the welfare of all that wildlife we enjoy along the way downriver. If the history of industry has demonstrated anything, it is that people will pollute to the extent that they can get away with polluting.

If you don’t agree with that statement, you should probably stop reading now. The rest of this message will just aggravate you.

Stella informed me yesterday that Claire McCaskill voted against the Stream Protection Rule. If you don’t know about it, I recommend you read it: https://www.osmre.gov/programs/rcm/streamprotectionrule.shtm

Although the rule specifically targets pollution from coal mining operations, the political implications of McCaskill’s vote extends, in my opinion, to clean water initiatives across the board. She was one of four Democratic senators who voted to repeal; Susan Collins from Maine was the only Republican to vote, as is her tendency, against the party line.

I wrote the following letter to McCaskill. If you feel as outraged as I do, I encourage you to write her. Feel free to poach from my statement if you’d like.

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Dear Senator McCaskill,

I had heard from my daughter that you were one of four Democratic Senators who voted to repeal the Stream Protection Rule, but I couldn’t really believe it until I checked the record myself. I heard you speak at the Women’s Day March in St. Louis, describing how inspired you were by the gathering to “continue the fight” or something like that. This vote shows that you’re fighting for the polluters and oligarchy, not for those of us who care about Missouri’s environmental and social well-being.

As a member of the Missouri Whitewater Association and a high school teacher who leads an outdoor adventure program, I was appalled by this vote. I have seen firsthand the deplorable damage done to aquifers by the unregulated disposal of mining waste when I paddle rivers fed by orange streams in West Virginia. Meanwhile, as a landowner in Crawford County and having led river trips all over this state, I know how critical clean water is to our state’s agricultural welfare, quality of life, and recreational economy. This vote is indefensible morally and politically.

After attending the march and after witnessing the colossal defeat of Hillary Clinton, I am shocked that you are acting as if you don’t understand. We march to defend and advocate explicit principles. We deserve and are going to demand party leadership that truly represents us.

At this point in history, we need an avant-garde willing to sacrifice their political careers for what’s right, so that someone else can come from behind and pick up the banner. We don’t need lackeys. After this vote, I will do all I can to rally support in my circle of friends, in my network of environmental activists, the active donors I know, and the coalition of progressives emerging at this moment in order to defeat you.

[Author]

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